Clara Moore and the Creatures of the Night

"Something so Evil"

Chapter 2

It wasn't at all how she had imagined, but it was magnificent. Hundreds of books crowded the room, some lay open on the dark wooden floors whilst others towered on bookshelves which ran up high ceilings. Clara let the door fall shut behind her, and in awe began to search the dimly lit room.

A counter stood at the centre, with an old fashioned cash register gleaming of a recent polish. There was no one behind the counter, and although a small bell sat with the sign 'ring if unattended', Clara decided not to draw attention to herself. She felt a sense of foreboding despite the shop's luring qualities. And besides, Clara was pretty sure that she had just witnessed a shop materialise out of thin air, which meant that she was either dreaming or crazy. Regardless, she knew one thing, that she wasn't ready to be woken up from this dream or brought back to reality just yet.

Small vintage lights hung from the ceiling between rows of bookcases, gently illuminating parts of the store in wondrous light. Clara moved with her fingers outstretched to feel the spines of the books as she walked the aisles. No two books looked or felt the same, which gave Clara the feeling that someone had enough delicacy and care to find stories that were so different. The titles also looked compelling, some of them read things such as "The Witch's Descent" or "Great Giants of the East".

Breathing in the scent of print on parchment and taking in the feeling of her fingers on the book spines, she let her heart melt by the wealth of words and stories that filled the pages of every book. As she continued to wander along the cases, she passed a small reading nook. A royal red velvet arm chair sat beside an antique light that appeared to be the shape of a snake that curled up to hold the light and lampshade. Beside the chair, a side table held an open book that looked as though someone had recently read from it. Turning away from the corner, Clara began intrigued by a book separated from the rest.

It was locked away in a glass cabinet, with a giant iron padlock on the lid. The book had a faded brown leather cover, and on it squiggly lines formed what looked to be an ancient rune. A crescent moon was drawn on the centre. At first glance, Clara could have sworn it was slightly glowing. However, the more Clara stared into it the more she was convinced that she was just seeing things, as it returned to look old and dim once more. The title was a gold similar to the sign outside Wilko's, however, the swirly writing was replaced with bold letters.

"The Darkness of Luna," Clara read aloud and placed her hand on the cabinet as she wondered what could possibly be inside the book for it to be locked so securely away.

"Such a pretty book for something so evil, isn't it?" came a gentle voice, which made Clara jump out of her skin. Glancing around, her eyes found the reading corner, where a man had stepped out of the shadows. She swore he had not been there seconds before, and stared at the man in shock. He was dressed in an extravagant green suit that matched the emerald colour of the front door to the shop. His white hair fell just above his shoulders, and looked wildly untamed, much like a lion's mane.

As he moved closer to Clara, she noticed a white cat who purred happily in his arms. The cat peered wide-eyed at her, and she was fixed with such an intent gaze that made her feel as though the cat was saying 'I don't trust you.'

The man, observing Clara's eyes on the cat, spoke in the same soft voice, "Acalia here is a Turkish Angora. You know, her name is actually derived from-"

"Latin," Clara said before she could stop herself. She had always been interested in the Latin language and studied parts of it when she could.

"Exactly. And do you know what it means?" The man looked bemused as he took her in, and gave a warm smile which despite everything, made him feel trustworthy to Clara.